U.S. State Department: Most Iraqi Shiite Militias Have No Connection to Iran

The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department has told reporters that the "majority" of Shiite militia groups in Iraq have no ties to Iran or the Revolutionary Guard, while they are engaged in fighting against the Islamic State group. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, responded on March 2 to the question of whether Washington had asked the Iraqi Prime Minister to stop the activities of the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi). Mr. Kirby stated that he personally had not seen such a report. He added, "I think it's unlikely that such a request has been made to Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq." According to the U.S. State Department spokesperson, "the idea that any Shiite militia group or Popular Mobilization Forces are controlled by Tehran is, as a result, (a group) of mischief, fundamentally wrong." He continued, "In fact, the majority of them have no relationship with Tehran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Many are also fighting against ISIS. Therefore, regarding these Shiite militia groups, the unified situation that some think exists does not exist." John Kirby emphasized that U.S. forces in Iraq are engaged in training the security forces of that country; however, they have also asked the Prime Minister to increase community participation against the Islamic State, whether among Shiites or Sunnis in that country. In 2010, the then-commander of U.S. forces in Iraq stated that Iran supports "three major extremist Shiite groups" that have made attempts to attack U.S. military bases: "Kata'ib Hezbollah, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and the League of the Righteous." Kata'ib Hezbollah, which was formed before the conflicts with the Islamic State, was added to the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations in 2009. Meanwhile, at the height of ISIS's advances and the battle of predominantly Shiite groups under the title of "Popular Mobilization" against it, images of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, were published in Iraq. Shortly after that, Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, implicitly criticized this issue. Tehran has officially stated that it has provided military equipment and assistance to Iraq to combat the Islamic State. Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, had previously stated that assisting Iraq in organizing Shiite militias against the Islamic State was understandable before Haider al-Abadi's government came to power. However, he also added that Iran's assistance to Iraq should be conducted through that country's government, and Iranian forces should operate under Baghdad's oversight. Tehran and Baghdad are considered regional allies. Iran supports Haider al-Abadi's government and has also sent military assistance to the Kurdistan region. Washington is also a supporter of the Iraqi government and leads a coalition that provides air support against the Islamic State. The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq were formed in the spring of 2014 following the fall of Mosul and its control by the Islamic State. According to media reports in Iran and Iraq, Ayatollah Sistani, a prominent cleric residing in Iraq, issued a fatwa for the formation of this group.